THIS INVENTION relates to a ball.
The invention relates in particular to a ball having a tail, in the form of at least one streamer, extending therefrom, for use in a game in which the ball is struck with a bat, a racquet, a paddle, or the like, hereinafter merely being referred to as a bat. Such a ball is referred to hereinafter as a streamer ball. Typical games with which the ball of the invention is intended to be used include tennis-type games, which allow a ball to bounce before being struck, and badminton and other volley-type games, which require the ball used to be struck without bouncing. Typical balls currently used for the above games include tennis-type balls and foam-type balls, their characteristics being determined by their bounce requirements and the distances they are to travel, during play of a typical game. The games herein envisaged shall hereinafter merely be referred to as ball and bat-type games.
The Applicant herein has proposed, in respect of playing of tennis-type games, the use of a ball having a tail directly attached thereto and extending therefrom. The Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,931 (assigned to European Sports Merchandising BV) discloses in particular a series of parameters for such a ball and for the tail of the ball, that provide for desired bounce and flight qualities that enable a tennis-type game to be played with such a ball.
The main benefits of using a ball with a tail attached thereto when playing a tennis-type game include that the ball is slowed down while a regular flight path is provided for. By slowing down the ball when struck with a bat, the distance that the ball can travel is effectively reduced, permitting a tennis-type game to be played in a relatively small area while the ball can still be struck at xe2x80x9cfull strengthxe2x80x9d. The visual and audible effects that can be created by a tail also can render playing of games using a ball with a tail more pleasing.
A disadvantage associated with the use of a ball having a tail formed of a plurality of streamers, as envisaged within the disclosure of the above United States patent, is that the tail, during play, becomes tangled with the ball. When so tangled, the streamers forming the tail often are struck directly with a bat when the ball is struck, resulting in the tail being destroyed relatively quickly.
It is thus an object of this invention to provide a ball that has a tail, but in respect of which the above disadvantage is at least ameliorated. It is a further object of this invention to provide such a ball that is also suitable for use in badminton and other volley-type games.
Within this specification, in relation to the definition of certain components of the invention, reference is made to a flexibility rating that identifies the actual and relative flexibility of these components. The procedure whereby this rating is established, as outlined in the Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,931, constitutes a comparative procedure with the flexibility rating of a component being the distance in millimeters whereby the component can be horizontally displaced beyond the edge of a horizontal support surface before the projecting segment of the component has bent downwards, under the force of gravity, to the extent that the leading end of the component subtends at an angle of 45xc2x0 to the plane of the horizontal support surface. By way of explanation, therefore, a very flexible component can only be displaced a relatively short distance beyond the edge of a support surface before its leading end subtends at the angle of 45xc2x0 to the plane of the support surface, thus having a low flexibility rating, whereas a more rigid component can be displaced a longer distance beyond said edge, thus having a higher flexibility rating. The above procedure for establishing a flexibility rating is illustrated with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 of Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,931 and clearly allows for an accurate, measurable and simple comparative test whereby the flexibility of components can be compared and rated, without attempting to define the flexibility of a component on an absolute scale.
Reference is also made herein to the air penetration factor of a ball, this factor as herein envisaged being the ratio of the mass of the ball in grams to the frontal area of the ball in square centimeters.
According to the invention there is provided a streamer ball for use in a ball and bat-type game, which comprises a ball having a diameter between 20 mm and 100 mm, a mass between 2 g and 75 g, a relative density no greater than approximately 0.75 and an air penetration factor no greater than 1; a tail comprising at least one thin, flexible streamer that has a flexibility rating between 20 mm and 100 mm, a length not less than approximately two times the diameter of the ball and a thickness less than 0.2 mm; and a resiliently flexible, elongate spacer stem having the tail attached thereto near one end thereof and having its other end connected to the ball, the spacer stem separating the attachment point of the tail from the ball by at least 25 mm and having a flexibility rating between 150 mm and 800 mm and a mass, between the tail and the ball, less than 3 g.
The ball of the streamer ball of the invention typically is either one of a hollow tennis-type ball and a solid foam-type ball.
The tail of the streamer ball of the invention may comprise a plurality of streamers, each streamer comprising an elongate flat flexible element of a synthetic plastics material having a thickness less than 0.06 mm. The maximum length of the streamers preferably is in the order of 1000 mm.
The spacer stem of the streamer ball of the invention may comprise an elongate synthetic plastics element having an anchor formation defined at one end thereof which is formed to provide for connection of the spacer stem to the ball. The anchor formation of the spacer stem maybe formed to provide for connection to a hollow tennis-type ball and, as such, the stem, when connected to the ball, may pass through an aperture through the wall of the ball. For the above configuration spacer stem, the stem may provide a snug fit within the aperture in the wall of the ball which inhibits the rate of release of air from the ball, for retaining the bounce qualities of the ball.
The spacer stem typically has a flexibility rating between 300 mm and 400 mm. It is envisaged also that the spacer stem may have a flexibility rating that varies along the length thereof. Still further, it is envisaged that the spacer stem may have a tubular element located over a segment thereof that renders the stem less flexible in the region of the said segment.
Further according to the invention, the spacer stem may have a portion externally of the ball to which it is connected and the mass of the said portion of the spacer stem including the mass of the tail may be less than 100% of the mass of the ball. Preferably, the mass of the said portion of the spacer stem and including the mass of the tail is less than 50% of the mass of the ball.
The streamers forming the tail of the streamer ball of the invention particularly are configured and formed of a material that provides for the streamers to oscillate rapidly during flight and thereby generate a fluttering noise which, it is considered, will constitute a pleasing effect when playing a game with the streamer ball.
The combination of parameters in relation to the ball, the tail and the spacer stem of the streamer ball of the invention as are hereinabove defined, is such that when the ball of the streamer ball is struck with a bat during play of a game, with the tail following the ball, the configuration of the tail following the ball is re-established within a distance of approximately 1, 5 m from the location where the ball has been struck. It is thereby ensured that during play of a game only the ball will be struck with the bat used. The use of the elongate spacer stem particularly provides for the tail of the streamer ball to follow a path that ensures the above required flight characteristics of the streamer ball, the tail thus not becoming tangled with the ball and not being damaged when the ball is struck.
The parameters referred to above also are selected to provide for a flight loss of at least 30% when compared with the flight length of an equivalent ball without a tail. Also, the preferred flight length of the streamer ball in conjunction with a bat striking the ball is kept below approximately 30 m, through the air, the play of a ball and bat-type game as herein envisaged thereby being accommodated.